In the end the lad does agree with my proposal, although in his dazed state it takes him a moment to properly process it. That's alright though. It's not like either of us is in a hurry after all.

I accompany him to his corner of the ring, where the belongings he didn't need for the fight are haphazardly slung over the ropes. This includes his purse. I graciously accept the penny he hands me and stow it in my own purse, while he leans back against the ropes.

As he closes his eyes I check his nose first. He thankfully has already straightened it back out. As much as that can be done anyway. What matters is, that I don't have to do any additional damage. The bleeding has mostly stopped by now too. I take a deep breath, place my hands on either side of his face, my thumbs resting against the sides of his nose, without putting actual pressure on it. Then I speak a quick prayer. I don't invoke Fox by name directly this time for a change, as the general noise level has died down enough that I might actually be overheard.

"Divine guardian of many masks. God of making mischief and Goddess of having fun. I beg you, heal this daring rascal and ease his pain."

That overall seems inconspicuous enough and it's still enough to catch my divine patrons attention, as it turns out and the effect is immediate. Both my [Prayer] and my [Healing Touch] skill improve a little as a result once again. Sadly it's not quite enough for a level up though. I can feel some of my very scarce Karma drain away too, but I don't mind. This is all to get some practice after all.

The boy takes a deep breath and winces a little, as my healing takes effect. The wince is probably due to the fact that his nose shifts some more, as it heals. Not much, but enough to make for an unpleasant sensation or maybe even a brief jolt of pain for sure. He still looks bad, but not like a horse just kicked him in the face anymore.

He can properly breath through his nose again too, which seems to be one of the first things he notices. He flashes me a grin, surprisingly enough without any missing teeth.

"Thanks."

I return the smile in kind and pat him on the shoulder. My voice is soft, as I speak up again.

"Don't mention it. Just be a little more careful about the fights you pick, or let others pick for you."

It's not like he had much of a choice today, but he nods anyway while flashing me another cocky grin.

"I'll try."

"That's quite often the best we can do. Well, best of luck to you."

With one last wave I'm off again to rejoin Sylwia and Matylda. The former is currently following the latter on her way to collect whatever winnings her bet might have generated. I arrive just in time to catch the tail end of the argument presented by one of the women accompanying the ringleader.

"Well, the odds were heavily in favor of your friend, you see? You can't expect huge winnings on a bet like that. We could arrange another fight for Slyph though. Maybe tomorrow? Or the day after if that would fit you better? I think with a little time we might be able to find an opponent that is a better match for her, you see?"

Sylwia doesn't say anything at all, but she acts like the prospect excites her. Maybe it really does. Matylda on the other hand takes a deep breath as if to object at first, but in the end she nods. That doesn't stop her from grumbling a little though.

"Damn. Fine. Have it your way. The day after tomorrow. Sometime after sunset? Take my coin and put it all on Slyph again. She'll show you!"

That sounds terribly shortsighted, especially considering that Matylda doesn't even know who Slywia's or rather Slyph's next opponent will be. That's just it though. She might be much more careful usually, but right now she is putting on a pretty good act.

I don't interject anything either. I only shoot Matylda a questioning look.

She is quick to off a placating comment as she notices.

"Don't worry. The winnings from this fight are rather slim. The odds for that next fight will be much better. You made a few coins offering your healing anyway, right?"

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

I shrug nonchalantly as I answer, doing my best to keep up my recently acquired patterns of speech.

"Well, I sure won't be going hungry, if that's what you are getting at. People roughing each other up for entertainment, it's good business for everyone, you know."

That seems to be good enough for everyone. It matches the front we are putting up and it matches what I have been doing so far after all. The best thing though? It earns me some more progress for my [Bluff] skill.

Matylda shakes hands with the woman managing the bets. She receives a fresh slip of parchment too. I feign disinterest and to be honest, the exact contents of this slip don't really matter in the long run. We aren't doing this to actually gamble on the outcome of Slywia's fights after all. Afterwards she turns to leave and as Sylwia follows her so do I.

Mabye I could have made another penny or two, if I had stuck around instead, but considering that my two companions got me into this when I was already about to turn in for the night, I'm not really tempted. I want to actually get some sleep now. I suspect that will still have to wait anyway though.

Instead of returning to the boardinghouse I follow the other women to the tavern by the waterfront. We don't head there directly though. Matylda picks a route that doubles back several times, around particularly busy corners where the city comes really alive at night.

I sharpen my senses too, just in case, but the only thing of note I notice is another little bit of progress for my [Perception] skill. Instead of leaving it at that I take the chance to work on one of my other core skills a little as well. As we pass through another throng of people, I part ways with Matylda and Sylwia, to meld first into the crowd and a little later in the shadows of a nearby back alley.

It's not because I'm naturally distrustful. Or at least it isn't just because of that reason. This little underground fighting ring we have stumbled upon isn't just a shoddy scheme by some amateurs. I would be very surprised if the tattooed scoundrels running it aren't pretty well organized as well as connected. Especially the presence of that guard officer has me on edge. I really wouldn't put it past them to shadow us. And if they do, they are probably going to be somewhat professional about it. At least that is my best guess.

Being a little more careful won't hurt at least. And if nothing else, I at least get to work out my [Stealth] skill some more. Considering my recent progress on my other key skills it's necessary too. Can't have the skill lag behind by too much. And since I'm already at it, I decide to work on some other skills as well.

The walls in the alley are close enough and I'm pretty much itching to work out a little. The place is dark enough and mostly out of sight too. Thus a few jumps from wall to wall, making use of the various handholds and the rooftop's edge to pull myself up the last little bit see me up on the rooftops. My [Climbing] and [Jumping] skills benefit as well.

Once I'm above street level I seek cover in the shadow of a chimney first, to look around up here too. After all anyone shadowing us might do so from up here as well. I don't spot anyone though. Only once I'm moderately certain that I'm the only one running across the rooftops around here right now do I resume following Matylda and Sylwia, even if only indirectly.

They, of course, have taken note of my sudden absence, but they don't seem alarmed. No, they just keep going, like me disappearing in the crowd is the most natural thing to them. Matylda simply finishes the circle of the block, doubling back once more.

And from my raised vantage point I can now have a good look at anyone potentially following us too. There is no one. Especially no one with these impossible to hide tattoos. That is actually quite a relief. Well, we probably are not big enough fish yet to warrant the attention. This might change in the future though, but for now at least we are good.

I don't rejoin the two directly, keeping an eye out instead until they slip into the well known to me tavern at the downstream waterfront. Only afterwards do I return to the street level a little ways away to slink over there by myself. As I enter I soon spot Matylda sitting with Jerzy, both nursing mugs of beer. Of Sylwia though there is nothing to be seen.

As I drop on a chair by their table without waiting for an invitation I realize why, as Sylwia returns from the backroom, once again in her usual outfit and with her hair returned to her usual style as well.

A moment later Barandon follows, carrying the clothes that made up the disguise. Barandon leaves, but Sylwia joins us at the table. A moment later she and I receive a mug each too. Even better, Matylda springs for it. Sylwia is the first to address the events of the evening before anyone else can say anything.

"So … a masked sister?"

That is obviously addressed at me and I don't really mind. It allows me to steer the conversation in a direction that suits me.

"He was mistaken. Or rather, his identification skill failed to provide results and he came to all the wrong conclusions based on his previous experiences. Combine that with their outrageous tattoos and I think it's not too big a stretch to assume that this outfit operates with divine backing provided by Raccoon."

I pause briefly and have a sip of beer myself, before I add a suggestion of mine.

"I could ask Fox about it. Tomorrow, probably. Right now I want to get some sleep. And there is something else troubling me more anyway. That fat man on the upper floor. The one wearing guard colors."

The others nod and Jerzy drums a little rhythm with his fingers on the table. Then finally he speaks up.

"Well, Matylda's little operation just became a not so little operation. If Raccoon really is involved, this might escalate into a turf war. And if Ser Joel has his fingers in this pie too, it's almost sure to get messy."

Matylda groans and Sylwia rolls her eyes. Neither seems very enthusiastic. The same seems true for Jerzy.

To be honest, I'm not too thrilled either. I just shrug though. Then I take a deep sip, almost emptying my mug in the process, before I share my own opinion on the matter.

"So, the way I see it we have two options, generally speaking. The first would be to make sure all blame lies elsewhere. We'll have to frame that gang and the guard in each others' eyes. The other option would be to make sure all loose ends are tied up. Which implies a different kind of bloody mess. I'm not sure we want Riverrun to be that kind of town though."

I finish my beer and get back to my feet while the others think on my words.

"Either way, you tell me tomorrow or the day after how you want to go about this. I'll try to be in town. Do some local work for the adventurers' guild. Or maybe I'll do some work at the docks. Whatever. You'll probably have no trouble finding me anyway."

Then, with one last wave I'm off. Time to get some sleep.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.